Kingdoms and Conflict
by Chemical-king-twoon
Summary: All the Kingdoms are at war with each other. Allen and his master Cross are travelers trying to make their way to the safety of home. But along the journey they are separated. Allen must find his way home but keeps getting himself into trouble. Can he make it out of this war alive?
1. article 1

A couple weeks ago all was peaceful, until the new Ruler of the East knocked down the first domino that caused the whole war. His father before him signed a treaty agreeing to help other kingdoms in time of need. After the father died his son took rule. He supposedly had shredded the treaty and closed the gates to the East. His intensions were to become isolated, but the West and South were outraged from the closed off East and attacked the boarders. Then the East responded with a declaration of war against all of them.

Cross and his apprentice Allen, were touring the Kingdom of the South at the time. Once the war broke out, they were forced to flee back to The Kingdom of the North. To the safety of their home Kingdom.

-One week later-

Allen and Cross were traveling along the border of the east and west kingdom leading up to the north kingdom. It was risky, but the north and south were on top and below of the east and west. So they had to pass through the East and West territory to get back home. They just had to be sneaky and avoid being caught by both sides. They traveled through a thick evergreen forest and kept a good distance away from the road to avoid contact with the enemy. The West territory had mountains on their border and the ever green forest was below it and spread across into some of the East territory. Cross relied in his compass to show them the right direction. The weather was warm and musky with a slight chilled wind, perfect for jeans and a sweatshirt. Allen wore his old hiking boots and tucked the ends of the baggy jeans into them. He wore a plain black long-sleeved shirt and a faded green jacket and loaded backpack slung across his shoulder. In the backpack was camping gear, hunting gear, and whatever else you needed to survive out in the wilderness. Cross wore something similar but his hiking boots and jacket were a lot more fancy and new than Allen's. Whenever Allen had mentioned getting new things cross would give him the same reply of "There is nothing wrong with what you have, wear your cloths until they are rags and use you gear until it breaks."

There was no point in arguing with the man, he was somehow always right. Allen came close a couple of times of buying some new gear and cloths but fear of his masters words triggered him into thinking the worst to happen. What if the newer gear didn't work or the cloths were destined to be completely ruined right after the purchase. Or what if they ran out of money and Allen used whatever amount they needed few day prior to the new things. Every time the fear of something going wrong took hold of him, and every time he put the items back on the rack.

Cross's little golden golem, Timcanpy, rested on Allen's head snuggled up between his silver hair and the hoodie. Cross told Allen to pull his hood up when they fled to hide the bright colors of his hair and Tim's golden color. It would make them an easy target if spotted and the whole point of traveling through the forests would be pointless. Allen tried to step around the thin sticks scattered across the forest floor. One crack and it would echo up to the Western mountains acting as the fence for the territory. Tim rustled in Allen's hood and tugged on his silver hair. Allen let out a small giggle, but it was not small enough. Cross whirled around and held his finger on his mouth signaling him to shut up_._

_Oh yeah, that's right_.

Allen remembered earlier that Cross mentioned to make no sounds. The South Kingdom's Army was close by, but they were traveling on the road closer to the East side. So that means if they were caught then they were done for. If the army got them there was nowhere to run but west, and their path was blocked by mountains. Allen followed close behind his master and was careful to watch his step.

They traveled in silence for about another twenty minutes when Cross came to a halt. Allen peered over his master's shoulder and his heart sank. About 10 meters away was a foot soldier. He wore a yellow scarf; yup that's a South Kingdom soldier. The north was green, east is blue, west is red, and the south was yellow. Each soldier was required to have some sort of color to tell who they serve. Cross knelt down and searched for a hiding spot. He spotted a thick tree to the left and began to crawl. Allen followed him. The tree was only thick enough to hide cross. Allen spotted a bush to the left of the tree and motioned to it, signaling to his master his intensions. Before he could move Cross grabbed his arm and pulled him over behind him. He whispered "Allen do not move any farther, see that wire?" Allen looked at him dumb folded but looked over at the direction he was about to head in. Then he saw it, a patch of sunlight reflected off a silver bell hanging on a thin wire that stretched from his bush to the soldier. The more Allen focused on the wire he observed that the wire was all over the place around the soldier. That poor guy was bait. But they were not killers, they travelers returning home.

The only way to avoid it was to go back the way they came and hide out in the mountains. Cross turned to Allen and signaled him directions.

Allen took one step back**.**

**Snap**_._

Crap, he triggered a wire. There was a loud crack as he felt vibrations from the tree limb splitting from above. It was a double trap. They set up an explosive from above in a tree that sent the poor tree's arms falling down towards the ground behind Allen and his master. Cross grabbed his shoulder shoved him "the mountains" he said "flee, I will catch up soon." Allen obeyed his master and ran as fast as he could. Of course the wires and bells were a problem too, he reached in his back pack and took out a knife to cut through any wires he could get tangled in. he kept it sheathed for safety. He heard more cracks and looked back. He could see that his master had taken out his pistol and was engaging in combat. He was about 5 meters away from the edge of the forest and could see the steep side of a mountain blocking his path. His eyes darted left and right to find a path way, then he saw it. A small split in the mountain. He could squeeze in there by standing, but if the caught him he was done for. He was running out of options. He glanced around his shoulder, he could no longer see Cross. But he did see the South's Army spreading across the forest.

_Bloody hell _

Allen was running out of options. The distance between him and the mountain chain was growing shorter and shorter.

_Okay. Option one, run like hell. Option two, climb like hell._

He was about a meter away from the base of the first mountain

_Oh my god make up your mind, think. If you climb, then that gives them a good target and you will be dead ten seconds flat. If you run you'll have a better chance, but then again they set up traps back there. Who's to say they won't be waiting up ahead? _

At the last minute Allen decided to run North alongside the base of the mountain chain and hope the enemy was not up ahead. He ran as fast as his feet could allow him. Every now and then one of his feet stomped on a rock. He was wearing down fast. The sound of whistle is what caused a halt in Allen. He stopped running and froze.

It didn't sound like a bird, nor did it sound like a whistle you could hear a cop use when directing traffic. It was soft, long, and the tone was even. It continued to whistle; with every whistle was a pause that was filled with silence. After a minute or so it seemed like a calm and comforting sound. He relaxed and let his fear melt away.

**Pop**

The sudden sound of a gun caught his attention. It forced him out of the tranquil state.

The whistling had stopped and panic took over. Before he started to run he felt a sharp pain bite into the back of his right leg. He fell onto his right knee and turned to see what was behind him. A row of foot soldiers were behind him. Each had some color of yellow on them. There was about three of them hot on his trail.

They were closing in on him. Allen tried to stand but fumbled back down on one knee.

**Pop**

Another bullet took a bite into his right shoulder. Adrenaline took hold of him.

_Move_

The Southern foot soldiers were closing in

_MOVE DAMN IT!_

Allen broke into a sprint. His heart pumping, feet pounding on the ground.

_Remember what Mana always said…_

"He's getting away! Shoot you asswipes!" called one of the soldiers.

**Pop, pop, pop.**

A few bullets flew past him, inches away from his ear. His hood began to flop out of place, Tim was holding into his hair and the task was becoming more difficult to maintain. Allen pulled his hood into place and pulled down on the draw strings. Tim loosened his tight grip on Allen's hair and relaxed in the now secure hood.

**Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. **

More gunshots sounded off. Allen flinched and waited for more bullets to hit him. But none came. For the sounds of gunshot did not come from behind him, but from above. Allen glanced behind him and the three soldiers were gone from his field of vision. He stopped running and came to a standstill. He fully turned around and examined the area behind him. The south foot soldiers were collapsed, none of them were moving, and none of them were speaking.

Then he heard it again, the soft whistle. He looked up to the mountains and saw people. The mountain was very close to him and he examined them more thoroughly. There were several of them lined in a row perching on the edge of an opening on the mountain. It looked like a dent made between the highest and lowest peak. There were man made bridges and construction built in the dent, the architecture nearly merged in with the texture and color of the mountain.

"Heeyyy" One of them waved to him. He was too far away to make out the facial details, but he had orange hair and wore no color to mark who he was fighting for. But then again, neither did Allen. He wore a dark green jacket, but that was just camouflage. The man that waved at him took what looked like a board and stood on it, and then he began to slide down the side of the mountain on it. As he came closer Allen saw that he wore a green bandana. He sighed in relief.

_Good, he's from the North. I'm safe. _

Allen couldn't help but smile, he waved to the man that came closer and limped his way to greet him. Allen focused more on him as he slid closer. He wore an eye patch on the left eye and had a…orange scarf? Was that a fashion statement, color choice, or did it represent another purpose in the war?

The man jumped off his board before it collided with the ground and landed a few feet in front of Allen.

"Ah hah!" he said, "didn't fall this time!" the man grinned and turned to Allen.

Allen could now see that he was only a boy. Probably a few years older than him and Allen himself was only sixteen.

"I couldn't help but see you were in a bit of trouble there," the orange haired boy held out his hand, "please to meet you. You can call me Lavi." Allen took his hand and smiled, "Thank you Lavi, my name is Allen."


	2. Article 2

Chapter 2

Lavi helped Allen up to his base in the mountain. There was a hidden stair way at the bottom. Lavi took Allen to the base's infirmary; luckily the bullets Allen took did not cause any serious injuries. The Infirmary was a small room with two metal tables in it. On the left side of the room against the wall it had two cabinets over a desk with a bucket of water and medical supplies organized on it. Under the desk was gallons of Bleach and cleaning supply, they were somewhat in/on a mountain so it's not like they could have anything fancy, just the basic needs to scrap by. A closet door was also on the right side of the wall next to the table. And lastly on the right side of the wall was another door with a restroom symbol on it. Allen sat on a metal table facing the far wall while Lavi stood behind him and worked on his shoulder wound. Timcanpy snuggled on Allen's lap and fell asleep. Allen's leg injury was already taken care of. The bullet had to be pulled out with tweezers and wrapped. The shoulder was a bit trickier; the bullet was launched in a little deeper. Allen had to take off all the clothing covering his torso for Lavi to dig around for the bullet.

"So Allen, uh, are you sure the other arm doesn't need treatment?" Lave asked.

Allen felt his face go red. His left arm, he was so embarrassed of it. He hated it, his arm looked severely deformed. It's been like that for as long as he can remember. But in a way, he was also grateful for it. After all it was...

"Err Allen?" Lavi asked

Yanked from thought Allen Replied "ah no its fine! It's always been like that." He then plastered on a fake smile to assure Lavi that he was fine. Lavi just smiled back.

"Alrighty, if you say so~"

They sat in silence for a while. Lave was still working on pulling out the bullet with tweezers. Allen could feel the cold metal digging around in his flesh. It hurt, but at the same time it didn't. Allen was still worried about the orange color of Lavi's scarf. He didn't want to be rude by asking, but the question if he was really safe kept itching at his mind. He decided to mention it, what could be the harm in it?

"Uhm...Hey, Lavi? About-"

"Ah Hah! Got ya you little bitch!" Lavi yelled.

Just as Allen was about to ask what was going on, his answer came with the pain of Lavi pulling out the bullet. He then did a little dance and held it up like a trophy.

The orange scarf swayed as Lavi did his little dance.

_What are you? _

Allen continued to focus on the scarf. It was old, he could tell by how dirty and tattered it was. The color was also faded? It's comparable to the old fake Christmas tree Cross had in his basement. It's been there forever, and Cross isn't going to spend money on a real tree every year, that would be wasting his precious whisky money. So every year Allen made the best of that old and flimsy tree that spent eleven months in a dark damp basement. Sometimes he would put Timcanpy on top to act as the star on Christmas morning, but Cross never noticed. Only the North and West Kingdoms celebrated Christmas. The South Kingdom does not, but lately it's beginning to become more popular in the East Kingdom. But after this war, who knows how much the world will change.

Having a scarf that defeated would make sense if he really did live up here in the mountains. But it's impossible to live up here; the base must have been built as a safe house, or something for the war. But Lavi had a green headband; didn't that mean he was siding with the North Kingdom? And if so then why were they hiding out on the West Kingdom's mountains? Were they spies?

"Allen?"

What if he was working with the West Kingdom, in some sort of small group alliance? It was possible and did make sense. The North Kingdom never wanted to go to war. The North has the second largest Military power, next to the East Kingdom, and barley uses it. The North Kingdom is not very involved. The East Kingdom sees everyone as out to get them and the West and South Kingdoms are like a bickering ex couple. The West and South are always either alliances, or bitter enemies.

A traitor maybe?

"Allen, uh buddy"

Allen snapped out of it "ah I'm sorry Lavi, what was your question?''

"I didn't really have a question. Haven't ya ever heard it's rude to stare, if I have something in my teeth you can tell me?"

Allen blinked a couple times. "I'm sorry" he put on a fake smile. "I was just lost in thought."

Lavi made his way over to the table and set the bullet and tweezers aside. He then picked up gauze, wrap, and disinfectant. He shuffled back over to Allen and started to patch up his shoulder.

"Mind telling what you're thinking about, ya looked pretty scary when focused." Lavi asked.

Allen held his breath and he felt his face go red.

_What if he knows I'm suspicious? He's capable off killing me. _

Lavi Interupted his thoughts again "Whoa dude, I admit you're a cutie, but in time of war is not time for a relationship."

_Bloody hell?_

"Ah Lavi! No no no no no, I was not thinking anything like that!" he felt his face become even more flustered. "I was just wondering about your scarf." He could felt Lavi pause in his patch work.

"What about it"

Allen began to fuss with his hands. "Well, the color is orange. But your headband is green. So, if it's alright to ask, whose side are you on?"

Lavi chuckled. "Well ya see kid, its neutral. We saved ya because that's just what we do. We're not really on anybody's side."

"Then what's with the different colors?" Allen asked

"Well the group I'm with helps out people like you. This whole damn war is high school drama." Lavi then took a step back and put a hand to his forehead, "West Kingdom, what should I do? East Kingdom does not like me anymore. Oh wait I have an idea, let's go trash his house. Then start shit with North Kingdom for not helping."

Lavi then got back to work with Allen's shoulder. "Something like that."

Allen turned to him. "Why did you help me?"

Lavi smiled. "Ya see kid; I'm originally from the north. The scarf if just something I've had for a long time. We sneak around different Kingdoms and help out the citizens in need. We also rescue kidnapped citizens that are imprisoned. In the West or South, when you're turned into the authorities as a non-citizen or any kind of military position in another kingdom, they are made either slaves or forced into their army."

Lavi then finished wrapping Allen's wound and tied the bandages off. Allen slowly stood up and faced him. He help Timcanpy who was still sleeping. His eyes wide and sparking, as a child would when praised.

"Lavi that's so awesome! I didn't know there were people like you in this world. That's just amazing!" he beamed. Lavi grinned ear to ear and ruffled his hair.

"Well I wouldn't say amazing kid." Lavi then Tapped Timcanpy on the head, "your quite a mystery yourself. Mind telling me what you were doing traveling up the West kingdom and East Kingdom's boarders?"

Allen set Tim down on the table and started to dress himself.

"Well ya see me and my Master..." Then realization hit him. He smacked himself in the forehead.

_Burn it all to hell he forgot about Master Cross!_

Allen rushed through his story, "meandmastercrossweretouringtheSouthwhen"

Lavi slapped a hand over Allen's mouth. "Hold on kid! Slow it down, I don't speak gibberish."

Allen inhaled a deep breath and started over.

"My Master and I were traveling home to the North. We got caught in a trap set by the South and were separated. Then you saved me. You wouldn't have happen to see my Master would you? He has long red hair and wears half a mask over his face."

"Hold on kid, you're not a slave are ya?" Lavi questioned.

"No! I am his apprentice."

"Oh, well sorry kid. I've only seen you."

Just as Allen finished dressing the door burst open. It smacked against the wall and bounded back. Before the door could smack back shut the person who threw it open stopped it before it could close. The hand that stopped the door looked ancient as the Southern Kingdom's scrolls themselves. It was wrinkled and veins popped out. The fingernails were long and black. A small man stepped through the door way. He was short, and oh so very old. But still young enough to be punching open doors. He was bald except for a spot on top of his head where there was a pony tail containing a mop of fuzzy grey hair. His glare was surrounded by deep black pools painted around his eyes.

"Lavi, they have returned." The old man said.

Lavi paused before saying anything. He looked scared. "What's the damage this time?"

"Zero causalities, and zero injuries. The mission was a success." The old man said

Lavi's face lit brighter than the sun and he fist bumped the air. The old man smiled and nodded towards Allen.

"Is this the young one I heard you helped rescue?"

Lavi nodded, "Yeah, I already tended to his wounds. If you can make more of that miracle cream, then it could be completely healed in a week."

The old man nodded and responded. "I will make more in a little while. Come to the lounge when ready." He then left, leaving the heavy metal door open. Allen look at Lavi with a curious expression. Lavi just responded with yet another smile. He wavered around the room for a while before turning to Allen.

"Wait here and rest, I will be back in a little while" Lavi said. He then went over to the closet door and pulled out a cot, blanket, and pillow. He set it up next to the metal table he used to patch Allen up.

"You can rest here. Space is limited and if your wounds reopen then you'll already be here. Use the cot; I can assure you it's much more comfortable than a metal table." Lavi then winked and walked over to the door way. He looked at Allen once more before dimming the lights and saluting him. Then he left the infirmary, shutting the metal door with a 'thud' behind him. Allen sprawled out on the cot; he set Timcanpy next to his head on the pillow. He heard the ticking noise of a clock. He didn't see one hanging on the wall though. He glanced over at the table with medical supplies and saw a small clock set up on it. It was 9:21 pm. He laid back down and stared at the dimmed ceiling.

_I wonder what kind of mission has zero casualties and zero injuries._

_A spy mission maybe?_

Allen sifted in his position.

_I wonder if Master cross is okay_

He shook his head.

_Of course that bastard is okay._

Allen tried to sleep, but every time he drifted into the welcoming darkness, he snapped back awake. He glanced back over at the small clock on the table. 11:14 pm. The dim light made small reflections off the glass bottles neatly organized on the table. He could hear murmuring down the hall. He has been able to hear them ever since Lavi left. But as time ticked by the voices grew louder. The muttering was equivalent to the pitter patter sound the rain makes against the window pain. Allen used to be scared of thunderstorms, when Mana was still alive he would help him sleep through the storm. He would sit next to Allen by his bedside and talk to him. That's all it took, just the sound of talking. Allen paid attention to stories he would tell him and focus on that instead of the booming thunder. Eventually, it didn't matter what was being said, the words that spilled from Mana's mouth sounded like a song. He was constant with what he said, and it all flowed together like a melody. Allen didn't realize it, but the more he thought of Mana, the more he drifted off to sleep.

A booming laugh grabbed Allen out of his pit of sleep and threw him out. The laugh came from down the hall. Allen slowly made his was way out of the comfortable cot and stood up. He was still hazy and used the cot to lean on and keep himself up. He was thirsty. Allen took slow and steady steps over to the table with medical supplies on it. His eyes searched for a bottle of water, but he could not find one. He was not so sure about the water in the bucket. As they always say, better safe than sorry.

Allen made his way to the door and pulled it open, the infirmary he was in looked to be in the middle of the hallway. There were open window panes lining one side of the hall and the other a row of doors including the one Allen opened. All the doors were exactly the same. He could see the night sky, it was filled with stars and a bright moon, lighting the sky. The moonlight spilled through the window panes lighting the hallway. On the left side faded into darkness. The right side had a flickering light at the end of it. Allen cracked his door open to mark which door to return to, then he staggered toward the light at the end of the hall. The closer he got, the louder the voices were.

As Allen approached the end of the hall, there was another door. It was large and wooden. The finish on it was old. The door was scratched all over and the sun bleached out the color. It was cracked open, and Allen peeked into it. The room was a large circular room. It had a lower level in the middle that was two steps down. It had a fire pit in the lowered level. The main level had tables scattered around with chairs setting on top of them. A pair of double doors was to the left side that looks like what led to a kitchen. Several men were scattered on the few steps that led to the fire pit. Allen recognized one of them men as Lavi. He held what looked like a rope, or some sort of hair tie. It was beautiful; maybe it was a gift from a girlfriend to remember her by or something. Another man looked quiet young, maybe the same age as Lavi. He was sitting right next to him; he had purple markings under his eyes that led down to his cheeks. The old man from earlier sat behind Lavi. There were some other men around them, but Allen could not identify as anybody he saw earlier. The one with purple markings threw his hands up

"Man that was too easy! He didn't suspect a thing!"

Lavi smirked, "I wouldn't think that, Deisha, your brother is smarter than that. I think he let us go easy. Don't get caught next time. With the report I received earlier I thought you guys didn't get caught. But after hearing this I'm quite surprised. I think maybe the new ruler has gone soft."

Deisha snorted, "Soft is not the word, and he's not my brother! Well I guess I could consider him one. The main reason is that our master would never let him hear the end of it if something happened to me. I'm untouchable!"

"Yes but that does not give you immunity." Another man said.

"He's right, we were just let off with a warning this time. It's only a matter of time before we are tracked down. I would not be surprised if he sent spies after us to discover our location." Said an unrecognizable face.

Deisha growled then stood up. "He's not as cold hearted at you guys think! So what, who cares if there is a neutral party in this war? It's not hurting anything saving innocent people's lives!"

Allen saw Lavi nod

_Who are they talking about? Maybe an enemy general or something?_

The fire in the fire pit crackled and popped in the silence. A man touched Deisha's shoulder and muttered something. Allen could not hear it very well and leaned in a little. The door made a slight squeak at Allen's touch. The old man's eyes shot over at his direction and Allen jumped behind the door.

_Bloody hell, what am I doing? What's the point he already saw me. _

Allen once again peeked his head in and could see that Lavi and the old man were now both staring at him. None of the other men were staring at him though. Lavi then stood up and excused himself and made his way to the door. Allen stepped aside for Lavi to come through. Lavi opened the door and stepped through and shut it again. He didn't look angry, just confused. Before Lavi could say a word Allen beat him to it.

"Ah- I'm sorry Lavi, I was just thirsty and didn't know-"

"It's alright Allen, but I will need to know what you heard." Lavi said.

Allen looked down to the floor. He felt ashamed. Not for eavesdropping, but for being caught.

"I just head from the 'man that was too easy' part up until now."

Lavi sighed and smiled, "so you've only been up for five minutes?"

Allen nodded. Lavi then patted his head. "Alright buddy, I'll get ya some water, just stay right here."

Lavi disappeared through the big wooden doors, he heard Lavi's footsteps fade away til the clicking of another door sounded from inside. Then there was nothing but the noise of the men talking once again and crackle of the fire.

Allen ignored it this time. He was already embarrassed of being caught once, he was not going to let it happen again. He did pick up a few things from Deisha, he couldn't help hearing. Deisha was just too damn loud, his laugh was the one that woke him up.

"Common the guys not that scary, he just-"

"-Can't possibly be scared of a pretty boy are ya!?"

Allen heard Lavi's footsteps return. Before he knew it he emerged from the door again and had three water bottles.

"Here, I'll walk you back" said Lavi with a warm smile.

Allen smiled in return and followed him back down the hall to the infirmary.


	3. Article 3

Allen awoke the sound of the creaky door. He was startled at first but looked over only to see it was Lavi. He was carrying another water bottle in his hand. Last night Allen only drank two of the three Lavi gave him.

"Shoot, I tried not to wake you up. Looks like you're a light sleeper Allen!"

Allen stood up and leaned against the metal table for support.

"How are ya feeling?" Lavi asked

"A little sore but better than yesterday" Allen replied.

"Here, gramps made more healing ointment for your wounds."

"Thank you"

"Hey don't thank me yet, now sit down so I can treat your wounds."

Allen sat back down on the metal table and Lavi helped him take his shirt off and the bandages underneath. His flesh was still bloody and sticky. It sung from the exposure to the chilling air.

They sat in silence while Lavi helped with farther treatment to Allen's bullet wounds. The small clock on the little table made its ticking noise, the more Allen listened his mind slowly created a beat to it.

A melody

A tune

A rhythm

A Song

Allen went back to thinking of Master Cross and his current whereabouts. Some of the happiest times Allen had with his master were around the holiday times. Master Cross liked to enjoy himself at taverns during holiday times. Allen did too, but for different purposes. There was always music. People were always so joyous. And dancing, they were always dancing to the live musicians gathered in the bar playing music until the sun rose. Allen himself didn't dance but he liked to listen and watch.

Before he knew it he would think of Mana as well, and the times they had together. Once when they were in the most central part of the North Kingdom, they traveled with a man who owned an accordion and a monkey. He was nice and happy man, one of those people who were happy just to be alive and kicking. The monkey's name was Albert, and the man's was Dusty. They didn't team up with the man though with their street performances, they just met up at the end of the day and combine the money made to afford food and shelter for the night. Those times with Mana were difficult, but they were the best moments in his life. Shortly after they parted ways with Dusty and Albert, Mana died. Then when cross took over as his guardian food and shelter were easier, but the work his master put on him was the most difficult. When he met Dusty again a few months later he was shocked at Allen's physical condition. Then he argued with Cross to let him take guardianship over Allen. But cross wouldn't hear it. Growing up with Cross as a guardian was tough but he made it, and in the end was probably for the best. Allen learned all sorts of stuff like how to cook, clean, do the laundry, play cards, basic street smarts, and what kind of people to avoid. Allen also knew a lot on how to get out of sticky situations with thugs, oh how much he dislikes thugs. He hated how much he knew on the subject of criminal activity. But hey, Cross was a magnet when it came to that and you got to learn to run away from it.

Tick

Tock

_Bloody hell I spaced out again_

Allen noticed Lavi had finished treating Allen's wounds and he set aside the miracle healing ointment. He took his shirt and dressed his torso once more.

Allen looked up at Lavi, but he was just sitting there looking at the door.

"Lavi? What's wrong?" Allen asked

"Shh!"

Allen listened

Nothing

"Lavi what is it?" Allen asked again

Lavi bolted up and went over to the closet. He took out a back pack and started to cram as much medical supply into it as possible.

"Allen get ready, we've got to move"

"Wait what's going on?"

Lavi halted in his movements and slowly made his way over to Allen. Once he was in front of him he leaned over his and whispered in his ear.

"This base has been under surveillance of an unknown enemy spy. And I was too much of a fool to not notice him until now."

Allen's felt his heart stop, he slunk back into the cot and Lavi turned on his heels to the door.

"Do me a favor, finish off the backpack. I will be back, give me five minutes." Lavi said, and disappeared from view behind the door and into the hallway. Allen didn't waste any time packing the medical supplies.

_I wonder if this has anything to do with their last mission. What if there is a traitor in this group. But why would such a harmless group that goes around and saves people have a traitor?_

Allen pack the rest of medical supply on the table in the back pack and started looking through the cabinets for stuff he could squeeze into the pack.

Tick

Tock

The small clock. Allen picked it up and looked at it for a moment. He's only been here for barley a day, but he was already so attached to the little clock. He couldn't just leave it for dead. Allen then slipped the small clock into the backpack. He was able to fit most of the Medical supplies into the backpack, when he finished packing it he set the backpack aside and sat on the cot and waited for Lavi. He could hear the muffled ticking noise of the clock crammed in the backpack. He sat for what seemed like ten minutes when Allen decided to lay down. He lay in complete silence once again, and then he heard it; and felt it. Small vibrations and a slight echo.

They were not footsteps.

They were not from the Hallway.

They didn't come from below.

They came from above.

Lavi was right. Someone was here, their motivation is unknown. But they were here, above, in the ventilation system.

_Are they here to merely watch, or are they out for blood?_

Allen sat back up and jumped to his feet. The pain from his bullet wounds caused him to slump to his knees. He let out a slight hiss in pain and grabbed the side of the cot to help him to his feet once more. He had to move.

_Move_

_Find Lavi and flee _

Allen fumbled with the backpack and scrambled to the door. He peered out into the hall way to find it empty. The windows on the opposite side of the hallway were open. Wide open. He peered out the window directly across from him. It was a long drop from the side of the mountain to the forest floor. He couldn't see anyone, or rather anything moving at all. The sound of footsteps made his heart stop. The sound was extremely close to him but he didn't hear them approach from afar. The footsteps sounded as if they suddenly appeared. He pretended to play dumb and be entranced by the view from the window.

_The hell am I doing? I'm just asking to be killed._

Allen expected to be pushed out the window so he gripped the windowsill with all his might. He slowly turned to the direction of the footsteps and froze. There only a few feet away was a girl. She just stood there and gazed at him. There was a smirk plastered on her face and a lollypop stick sticking out of her mouth. She had wild short black hair and was dressed in a white and purple school uniform.

_Purple? What does that stand for?_

She giggled and took the lollypop out of her mouth.

_Who is this? It's like she suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Wait but what if she is with Lavi's group? _

"Ah little girl, you shouldn't be out here, everyone here is in danger. We should find Lavi before something bad happens." Allen said.

The girl game him a confused look. Allen then held out his hand to her, "common."

The girl just looked at his outstretched hand, and then she busted out into laughter.

The girl laughed so hard he could see tears collect in the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away with her sleeve and continued to laugh at him.

"You-you ditz! Bwahahahah!' she shrieked at him.

Allen was too shocked for words.

_What is so damn funny? _

They both stood there in the hallway and Allen watched her continue to laugh.

Allen started to fumble with his clothes to make sure he put them on correctly and make sure his appearance wasn't what she was laughing at.

"M-Miss? Mind I ask you what is so funny?" Allen said.

The girl's laughing then died out.

"You're a funny boy Allen" the girl said.

_How did she know my name?_

"Pardon?" Allen asked

"I said you are funny. Don't make me repeat myself Allen."

"How did you know my name is Allen?"

The girl just smirked at him and popped her lollypop back in her mouth.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The girl giggled once more before a doorway appeared behind her. It was shaped like a heard and beautifully decorated. The girl turned and waved to him before throwing open the doors and stepped one foot in, Allen tried to see what was on the other side of the magic door but all he could see was blackness. The girl then turned around,

"We will meet again soon! See ya my Allen! ~" She called, and then slipped into the black doorway.

The doors slammed shut and disappeared leaving Allen alone in the hallway.


	4. Article 4

Allen stood in the hallway; he dared not move an inch after the encounter with the mysterious girl. He was terrified. How could someone just appear and disappear as they please.

_Maybe there is much more to this war then I thought._

_We could be dealing with a whole different party altogether. _

_Wait._

_**Click**_

_Could this war be?! _

"Allen!"

_A cover up?_

Suddenly Allen felt his body being tackled to the ground. His head smacked against the floor from the fall. Allen felt a jolt of pain in his head, and then he saw the orange. It was Lavi, with his orange hair and orange scarf.

Allen felt numb, but there was a warmness surrounding him. He didn't feel like moving, the air was nice and warm and the floor suddenly felt like the most comfy place to take a nap. Wait.

_Lavi? Bloody hell?_

Lavi was on top of him, he was yelling but Allen could not make out the words.

_Wait a second_

There was more of the color orange behind Lavi. It was not just his hair and scarf, but the end of the hall had caught fire. It was spreading quickly; Lavi scrambled to his feet and yanked Allen up.

_Lavi what.. what is.._

Then he blacked out. Lavi's voice still called out to him. It echoed through the blackness, like a cave.

Allen dreamt.

The air was damp and moist.

The sound of water trickled.

The sun was setting.

The wind danced with the leaves.

The smell of pine was clean and crisp.

The insects sung to their own beat.

Allen sat beneath an ancient willow tree. The thick long vines enveloped him, providing him with protection from the outside world. He was peaceful, almost asleep.

A whisper "Allen"

He heard his name; Allen looked around but saw no one.

"Poor boy"

He heard it again, but he was alone. A vine brushed against his cheek. Allen looked up, but still it was nothing but the tree. The wind picked up,

"Allen, you need to get up. Remember?"

He looked ahead and saw a figure standing outside of the trees vines. He couldn't tell if it was a male or female

"Get, up?" Allen asked. He felt so comfortable, and didn't want to move.

The figure took a step forward. It's shadow casting taller on the curtain of vines.

"Yes Allen, keep walking"

Allen just stared at the figure dumb folded.

"Where?" he asked

The dark figure was just outside the weeping willows curtain of vines. A hand reached through their protective barrier and reached for Allen. The hand was black as night, it looked like tar was covering it. The hand oozed and dripped gunk, staining the curtain of vines and leaves. He was not afraid, if anything he welcomed it.

There was a low whisper, barley audible

"The East"

Right after the words slipped through the figures mouth, everything went dark. It was almost like blowing out a candle. Once the darkness consumed everything, fear emerged and panic emanated at full throttle.

It's to not know what is there, is fear. Now that the darkness devoured the light, there was no protective barrier, no sunlight, no knowing where the figure was. Allen did not move, he tried to not be scared. The wind picked up and whipped the vines and pushed trees with all their force. Allen stayed crouched at the base of the willow tree to cover from the enraged wind. There was a chuckle, and then the figure yelled over the wind.

"Oh Allen, why so scared?"

Allen could still not see anything; the wind did not hold back its sudden rage. It whipped his exposed skin and stung his eyes.

"Don't worry! Death does not favor you!"

Allen reached out his hand and tried to get up, but the wind shoved him back down. He felt like he was being choked. The air was being sucked from his lungs.

Allen Felt a cold sensation whack him in the face, he caught his breath and sucked in as much oxygen as possible. He choked on something; Allen sat up and started to cough. He felt a hand pat his back; Allen forced himself to look up. It was Lavi.

"Breath Allen." He said

Allen tried to calm down, he whirled his head around d to look for the figure that haunted him. But there was no one but the crew from Lavi's group. He slowly evened out his breath. The sound of crickets was all around, the weather was musky, but it smelled smoky. As if someone built a bonfire nearby. Wouldn't that be nice, to heat up some food over an open fire. Like some chestnuts, or sweet potatoes. His stomach growled, of course it would. Allen finally took a good look at his surroundings. His eyes stung.

"Oh my word" Allen whispered to himself

They were in the forests. And on the horizon he could see the mountain side and smoke. He could see the Lavi's hideout, being burnt down and falling to the muddy Earth.

Everyone was silent. They all watched as the blazing red fire ate their shelter and spit it out in ashes.

They walked. They all ached from their escape, muscles were sore and weary.

Lavi had set a course to travel along the western boarder down to the south. Although Allen protested at first because he needed to be headed home to the North, he gave into Lavi's demand to take a different course. He said that the enemy would be going north and to escape the best way would be to do the opposite of what they would suspect. The environment around them was almost a like a desert. There were few trees scattered and sandy roads.

Lavi helped carry the limping Allen, for that his injuries had yet to fully heal. Allen's arm was around Lavi's shoulder and Lavi had his hand on Allen's arm and the other around his waist. Tim sat happily on Allen's head. They traveled in a circle formation. Allen could identify a few of them from the night before. The boy with the purple face paint now had the paint melting down his cheeks from all the sweat. Allen learned his name was Deisya. Lavi walked in front of them all, they all had back packs filled with all the supplies they could salvage from the fire. A tall dark-skinned and muscular guy named Marie carried Allen's bag he filled with medical supply along with his own bag. Even though Marie was blind, but he was very capable. Walking next to Lavi was the Bookman. The pain medication he gave Allen was working, and Allen felt like he could walk again. More or less he no longer needed Lavi's assistance. He felt too much like a burden.

"Lavi?" Allen spoke up,

Silence

"Hey, Lavi.." Allen said again.

_Is he ignoring me? _

"Lavi I think I can walk on my own now"

Still nothing

Allen tried to unwrap his arm around Lavi's shoulder, but Lavi's hand had an iron grip on his arm. Lavi also tightened his grip around Allen's waist so he was almost carrying him. Allen's feet were literally being dragged in the sand.

Allen started to struggle

"Lavi what the devil has gotten into you?!"

Allen turned around for help from the others, but they hung their heads low and avoided eye contact.

Allen struggled more. With his free hand Allen curled his fist into a ball and hit Lavi square in the chest.

Lavi stopped walking, and so did the party following them.

_Shit_

Lavi's lips curled into a smile and he chuckled.

The others look startled, some even scared.

Lavi dropped Allen, but he was not prepared for the fall. So Allen fell flat on his back into the sand and Tim disappeared into the sand, the impact knocked the wind out of him and he gasped for air. Lavi kneeled down next to Allen holding his grin, then put one hand on his cheek.

"So weak" he whispered. He almost looked..sad?

"Excuse me!?" Allen exclaimed. He then smacked Lavi's hand off his cheek. Lavi returned the favor with a punch in the abdomen. Allen could barely breathe; he took short breaths to try to avoid the pain of taking in a full breath.

Lavi then picked up Allen again and threw him over his shoulder. The pain was too much; Allen could feel his abdomen forming one hell of a bruise where he was punched plus the pressure of Lavi carrying The group started to continue forward.

Allen panicked

"Wait.." he groaned out

"Allen, don't speak" Lavi warned, although he didn't sound angry or mean, he sounded calm.

"But..Tim..i can't….leave..him"

Tim then crawled out of the sand and started after them.

"Tim," Lavi yelled, "go home, I know you can hear me. I'm not stupid you know, you're the golem of Cross. you can track him so go."

Tim ignored him and flew up to Allen. The old man then spoke up

"Tim, go back to cross, Allen will be fine with us."

Tim stopped for a second

_Crap…if Tim doesn't listen he will get hurt_

Allen started to tear up

"Tim listen to them, find Cross then you can come back for me"

Time just hovered there for a while, then turned around and headed back. Allen felt relieved but at the same time hurt.

"Cross can't so shit" Deishya mumbled.

Allen looked over at his direction and chuckled; his head was still hanging low and wouldn't look him in the eye.

"Do you honestly think my master would come just to save me?" Deishya look up at Allen and gave him a confused look. "If you're planning on using me as bait it's not going to work-

"Don't flatter yourself boy! We've got other plans for you" the old man said. Lavi remained silent; Allen hung like a rag doll in Lavi's grip.

_What now?_


	5. Article 5

Everyone was drenched in sweat, the water ran out a few hours ago and they walked for a whole day.

"Lavviiii" Deishya started, "when will we get there"

"Soon enough" Lavi replied. Allen was still being carried by Lavi, his abdomen hurt like hell from being carried over the shoulder like some freshly killed game. He never felt so helpless, he trusted Lavi. Cross warned him about that too, not to trust anyone. He wasn't angry, but still shocked at Lavi's sudden change in behavior. Allen looked over Lavi's shoulder to see the outline of a city on the horizon.

_Why? Why would Lavi suddenly hit me like that? And for what even? Maybe he wants to make sure I can't run…okay think Allen, what is in the South kingdom that Lavi wants. _

_What just a god damn second. _

"Lavi," Allen started

"I told to you stay quiet" Lavi bluntly replied.

"But- I have a question"

"Shut up Allen"

"What the bloody hell is in the South Kingdom?"

"You'll find out soon"

"…" Allen didn't know what to say, I mean sure he could keep pushing Lavi's buttons and it would be amusing, but it was best to behave and figure out a strategy. What if he pulled some sort of helpless kid act? Maybe a few fake tears, then when Lavi is caught off guard, he'll clock him in the face and make a break for it. Yeah, it's worth a try.

_Okay first thing, begin to cry, and then bitch about how scared you are. Think of something sad._

Allen pictured the time he was a part of the circus. He remembered the Ring Master, and how cruel he was. He put him and Mana through so much, horrible enough to motivate Mana to take Allen and flee. He could remember time when the ring master saw his deformed arm…he laughed and called him a freak, told him he would do better at a freak show than a circus. The ring master then planned to throw him in a cage and show his arm off as a side attraction. But then Mana stepped in and protected him from it, then Allen had to clean up the blood from the beating Mana took. That wasn't the worse that happened at the circus…

_Mana_

He wanted to cry, poor Mana. But if it was the subject of Mana then he wouldn't be able to stop crying.

_Shit. Too late._

He started to tear up, and his nose was beginning to clog up. He held his breath and breathed in through his nose, obviously the sound of congestion. More tears started to run. Allen decided to milk it and muffled a whimpering noise.

Deishya was the first to speak up, "Uh, Lavi, I think the kid is crying"

Allen shook his head "Am not" he mumbled, but he made sure he obviously was crying.

Lavi stopped

"Allen?"

He started to cry more. Lave then knelt down and sat Allen down in the sand.

"Lavi we don't have time for this, it will be dark soon." The old main said

Lavi waved him on, "gimmie a sec, Allen stop crying."

Allen covered his face and broke down.

"I can't, I'm scared. I don't know what the bloody hell is going to happen to me. I just want to go home, I've been traveling for so long, I just left the South Kingdom and I'm afraid of it. They have been chasing me and Master cross and – oh god I don't even know if he's okay anymore."

He wiped his tears just a little but enough to have his eyes watery and looked up at Lavi with big puppy eyes.

"Why are you doing this to me, I trusted you with my life."

Lavi looked away, avoiding eye contact. And Allen could swear Lavi's cheeks got a little red

_You almost have him, you got this. Keep milking it._

"Lavi, please look at me…"

Lavi moved his head just a little and looked at Allen in the corner of his eye.

"My abdomen...it hurts." Allen whimpered.

Lavi let out a deep sigh, "let's see it" and sat down next to Allen. The group then crowded around them to see what was wrong.

Allen let Lavi pull his shirt to examine what was wrong. Lavi leaned over him and pulled his shirt up to right below his chest. Lavi froze, NOW! Allen flopped on his back and sprung a kick with both feet to Lavi's chest, and then he flopped on his knees and crawled his way out of the circle and started to run as fast as he could. He could hear the group yelling at him from behind. Allen glanced behind him to see the group standing in the same spot as they were. Lavi however, was frozen, he didn't move since Allen kangaroo kicked him. He couldn't help but worry if he seriously injured him. But then again it was better to be safe, then sorry.

**Thump **

**Thump **

**Thump**

Allen's feet pounded his way through the sand. His abdomen hurt like hell, but he had to keep going. His legs felt like a thousand needles were prickling them from being carried all day.

_Wait just a bloody second, where am o going to go?_

There was nothing but sand ahead of him, and the only town was in the opposite direction. The only problem with that was the group of traitors. Allen heard them yelling, but he failed to pick up on what they were saying. He glanced behind him again, this time Deishya, Marie, and one other were running after him. Lavi had stood up, but his expression looked shocked.

"DAMN THIS KID SURE CAN RUN FAST!" Deishya yelled.

Allen ignored everything, the sound, the pain all over him, and the emotional damage Lavi inflicted on him. Sure he had only known him for two days, but Lavi saved his life. He saved him, healed him, and took him in. he was shown kindness he could never repay, he felt like he made a good friend..

Allen wiped his face from when he made himself cry by thinking of Mana. He wiped his sleeve over his face, and when he opened his eyes once more all he could see was blackness. Allen felt a pain in his chest and the wind knocked out of him, his balance shifted backwards. Once again he fell on his behind into the sand; he looked up to see what he had run into. It was the old man; his eyes were full of anger. He grabbed Allen by his hair and started to drag him back towards the rest of the party. Bookman walked in a slow pace, it was a good way for him to inflict pain on the target and teach him to not pull a stunt like that again in the future. Deishya met with the book man halfway through the walk back,

"Whoa, Bookman …do you really think that is necessary?"

The Bookman just grunted and kept walking with Deishya behind him. Each second felt like five minutes for Allen, all he could do was focus on the pain. His abdomen, his chest, and his shoulder still hurt from the gunshot wound, his right leg hurt as well. Now, his whole head hurt thanks to the old ma pulling all of Allen's body weight by his own hair. The voices of the party drew closer, and with each inch they move forward Allen became more and more scared of what was going to happen to him.

The group sat in silence as they watched Bookman drag Allen back to the starting point, the kid just looked like he was in so much pain. Allen was thrown back into the sand

"Next time you pull a stunt like that, I'll cut off your finger."

"Old man..." Lavi said,

"You shouldn't have let this happen"

"He shouldn't have to be in that much pain"

"Then he should learn his place"

"God you sound just as bad as slave owners"

**Smack**

A red hand print was left on Lavi's cheek

"We'll set up camp here, we will rest for a few hours and begin to travel once the night is dead" Bookman said.

He walked off more towards the town on the horizon that was now beginning to light up from street lights and city occupants. The other joined Bookman, leaving Lavi and Allen alone.

Lavi sat down next to Allen, who was still lying on the sand. Lavi grabbed his pack and took out a lantern and lit it, it was getting dark and the daylight was almost gone.

"Why did you do that" Allen mumbled

"Why not?"

"….."

"Lavi?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you look so shocked? I know I'm a little stronger than I look but-"

Allen glanced over at Lavi and he was just giving him the 'you've got to be shitting me' face.

"What?"

"Allen…did you even look at your abdomen?"

"…no"

Lavi reached for the lantern and held it over Allen.

Allen slowly pulled the cotton, inch by inch as more skin was revealed there were splotches of purple. It grew darker and darker til it reached the middle close to his bellybutton, and then faded back out to the middle of his torso. Allen could hear Lavi's breath hitch in his throat.

"Allen...I'm so sorry I didn't mean to…"

"To punch me then carry me on the injury giving me a world record bruise?"

Lavi sighed

"…yeah"

Lavi put the lantern down and lied down next to Allen and let silence fill the air. They could hear the chatter of the rest of the party off on the distance. Lavi laid on his back and put his hands behind his head, he had that red rope- hair tie thingy tied around his wrist.

"Lavi…what is going to happen to me?"

Lavi didn't say anything for a while

"You'll be okay; you're going to help a couple hundred people by doing this"

"What exactly am I doing?!"

"….."

"HM?!"

"Just… you'll be okay. You can probably get in a few hours of sleep, we'll be up and moving again soon."

…

_So, Lavi is sort of not so bad after all? _

Allen lay on his side and pulled his hands up to his chest. And not long after that he slipped into sleep. Lavi watched over Allen as he slept. It was memorizing. His breaths were calm. His chest would rise and fall every time he would breathe in, and exhaled. He couldn't help but smile. Although he was still worried Allen wouldn't forgive him for what had happened, and for what was about to happen next.


	6. Article 6

Allen woke up to almost complete darkness. The only sources of light were the lantern Lavi provided, and the lanterns lit by the group. They were still a little distance away from them. He could see that some were awake, chattering quietly to themselves. And some were sleeping. Allen looked over to see that Lavi had fallen asleep. He felt a cold chill on his wounds. He pulled up his shirt to see that Lavi had put more ointment on them. The town was almost completely dark. A few street lights were on, but everyone seemed to be asleep. Allen saw out of the corner of his eye that Marie had stood up, he turned his attention to him as he stood up and made his way over to him and Lavi. Allen leaned over and put his hand on Lavi's shoulder. He gently shook him in hopes that he would wake up. Unfortunately it looks like Lavi was a heavy sleeper. Allen panicked; he turned around to see Marie a little closer,

He stopped. Then mare put his hands in front of him, to assure Allen he meant no harm. Allen let him approach them. Maris settled into the sand next to Lavi and gently shook his shoulder. Lavi woke up, but was still out of it.

"We are about to head out again, I trust that-"

Lavi then snored; he had slipped back into his slumber. Marie shook him again

"We're leaving Lavi, so stay awake."

Lavi sat up and rubbed his eyes. He stretched and stood up. Lavi held his hand out to help Allen up. Allen was hesitant, he didn't move.

"I'll carry you correctly this time" Lavi said

Allen didn't say a word, just stared at him

"Look Allen, I'm really sorry that what happened, had happened. I didn't mean to do that to you."

Allen sighed and held out his arms. Lavi scooped him up and carried him bridal style.

"Uh…Lavi?"

"Hmmm" Lavi hummed

"This is kinda uncomfortable"

"Well it's the best way to carry you with your injuries."

"I don't think I even need to be carried. I can walk perfectly fine, in fact I think my shoulder and leg are almost completely healed up thanks to the ointment you put on last night."

"Oh you noticed hugh" Lavi stuck out his tongue like a child would.

"I want to carry you, I can work out my arms that way."

"Pffffft, oh common Lavi can you please put me down?"

"No way Josie"

Allen pouted.

_There goes my second escape plan, I wonder what they have in mind. _

Lavi laughed at Allen's pouty face and blushed a little.

_Is Lavi…attached to me? Maybe, I can suck up to him and get some information. _

Allen nestled his head into Lavi's chest. The party ahead of them didn't wait, they were already packed up and moving. They trailed slowly behind them with only a single dim lantern to light the way.

"Hey don't get comfy now; we'll reach the town in about an hour, an hour and a half at tops.

"Minus well get some sort of sleep"

"Oh you think you can fall asleep that easily while I carry you?"

Allen nodded.

"What's in this town? It's part of the Southern kingdom correct?" Allen asked.

"Well yeah, more like a thug town that people pretend isn't there. Its more of a hostage rescue that's going on."

"Why do you need me?"

"You're skilled Allen."

"How?"

"…just wait."

"Why? If we're going to be there soon then why keep me from knowing from what I have to do?"

"Allen please, don't ask about that anymore"

"Why not?! I should know!"

"Allen, I'm going to stop taking to you if that all you're going to talk about."

Allen sighed and turned to face the city. The red hair tie dangled off Lavi's wrist.

"Lavi?"

"Hmm" Lavi hummed in response

"What's up with the red rope- er, hair tie?"

Lavi glanced at his wrist.

"Oh, that? Deishya brought it back from the last mission. Knowing him he probably snatched it for laughs."

_For laughs? Like an inside joke?_

"Why do you have it?"

Lavi smirked while looking ahead, "because Deishya would probably lose it in a heartbeat."

Allen couldn't help but giggle. He tried to hold it in, but it slipped through his lips.

"Shit, I don't think I've ever heard that from you before."

"hm?"

"It suits you"

"How the bloody hell does it suit me!?"

Lavi laughed in response, "your just a little cutie. That just makes this even more depressing"

"Why must you keep me in confusion and mystery?"

"It's just better that you not know."

Allen nestled back down into Lavi's chest.

_Maybe I'll wake up._

Lavi then readjusted his arms to get a better hold on Allen

_Then again, maybe I won't_

Allen drifted into sleep as Lavi walked. He was still a distance from the rest of his friends. There was still an hour left before the sun would start to rise. He felt really bad, but its good to know he can run. He has a chance of making it.

_**Run as fast and as far as your legs can take you, Allen**_

He once again he became entranced by Allen's sleeping state. He blindly followed the dim light led by Bookman, he had no idea how much time had passed.

"Lavi! Pick up the slack yeah? Were just a short ways there!" Exclaimed Deishya

Lavi looked up to see the town was just up ahead, it was still dark. The only lights that were left on were the street lights. The buildings were a lot of condos. The makeup looked like they were made of dried mud and old stone. No lights were left on in the buildings. Condos and apartments had rugs hanging up over the small porches and railings. Actually, the closer Lavi got, the more rugs and tapestry appeared on the building and in the windows.

_**So, this town's score of income is their production of rugs?**_

They reached the outskirts of the town. The closer they got the sand seemed to turn into stone pavement, that was still covered in a layer of sand. They passed the first building. It was a small house, all the lights were out and a cat sat on the window sill. The whole town was asleep, no one was out. The taverns were closed up for the night as well. The more they kept walking the more clustered buildings became, there were more and more shops and taverns in the middle. A few street lights lit their way. He heard the sound of a few windows slamming shut. Perhaps a few people were still awake; perhaps these people didn't like outsiders. It was times of war after all. There were a few soldiers wearing a splash of yellow were out, but they were asleep. It was quite humorous because they were standing, they were probably assigned to keep watch but they ended up falling asleep anyways. The town was beginning to become more cramped; the streets were more like crazy zig zags than they were a maze.

Any other person would have gotten easily lost by now. But thanks to Lavi's memory, he could get out of he needed to. Allen stirred while he slept in Lavi's arms. It was probably best to wake him, he's only been asleep for about forty minutes. But before Lavi could have a chance to think about how he was going to wake the sleeping beauty, the Bookman gave the signal to stop. He had been leading them through the small and sandy streets. Bookman nodded his head to a building on the corner, steps winded all the way around the building, it was a peachy color .Unlike all the other tan or brown color. It looked like at one point it was painted red, but over the years the weather eroded the brilliant color. The windows didn't have any rugs in them; it looked like plush red fabric for curtains. The rails detailed iron that helped support the stairs.

Lavi kept behind Bookman, who was leading the way towards the building. As he walked he tried to shake Allen a little, to try and get him to wake up. To no avail Allen didn't budge. The closer they got the more grand the building was. The corners of the structure had designs of the war of Angles and Demons. Biblical scriptures were also engraved in code in tiny writing all down the walls. It looked more like a castle with the roofing; it had a large cone in the middle and two smaller ones on the side. It was an exceptional grand estate; it certainly stood out from all the poor housing surrounding it.

The stairs leading up to the door were made out of marble, the railing on either side was casted from iron. It was a miracle this place hasn't been damaged by civilians, unless its s church or something. The building itself had few windows, and they were small. Probably because of the harsh sandstorms the desert sometimes gets. Yet every window he saw was shut tight with the red curtains drawn. The structure sure looked holy, yet something was off about it. The aura surrounding it made Lavi feel uneasy, it wasn't that of a demon's though. He tried to shake off the bad feeling as we walked up the steps. Bookman reached the large grand doors first, but before he could knock there was a click.

Lavi tried once again to wake Allen

_**Holy shit this kid is a heavy sleeper**_

Allen stirred and cracked open his eyes. Lavi put him on his feet and wrapped his arm around Allen's shoulder to help him from falling. He just woke up after all,

"lavi, where –"

Lavi leaned over and whispered in Allen's ear

"shhh…we have arrived"

Allen grew more awake and stared at the door, it began to open. It wasn't a very pleasant door; oh no it was far too noisy. It made a loud creaking noise when opened. A woman appeared at the door, she was very tall, had long black hair, and small rosy lips. She was absolutely gorgeous.

"Miss Anita" Bookman said, then he bowed.

Allen gave Lavi a confusing look, but Lavi just shrugged and they copied Bookman.

"Welcome, _Travelers_, I'm glad you made it here safe" she said. Allen noticed that she empathized 'travelers'. Allen thought to himself,

_So she's in on it too huh?_

_What's she staring at?_

_Oh_

Allen remained silent

_It's me_

She was giving Allen a devious smile. Allen looked away when he saw it.

"Why don't you all come in? You all must be exhausted from your journey."

Miss Anita stepped aside and made room for them to follow her inside. First entered Bookman, then Lavi, and Allen, Deishya, a few others, then lastly Marie. The interior was extraordinary beautiful, almost like it was right out of the Palace of Versailles. Allen and Lavi were speechless, it was breath taking.

"Follow me" Anita said.

They followed her down the hallway. There were glass-like crystal chandeliers all down the hallway. The walls were painted a deep red magenta. There was a pattern of a mirror hung on the wall, then a rich red silk fabric curtain hanging on the wall, covering it from top to bottom. Elegant side tables sat in front of each mirrors all the way down the hall. Different object sat on each table. Some objects were vases, and others were small sculptures.

_I wonder how whoever lives here can keep a house- er castle(?) like this while so many surrounding them are living in poverty. _

Anita suddenly stopped. She went over next the many curtains down the hall and pulled it aside. There was the wall there, but a think black like was visible.

_A hidden door. go figure, I wonder if there is one behind every curtain…that would be a lot of hidden doors. _

She tapped the wall and it clicked. The hidden door clicked open, behind it was a staircase leading downwards. The walls and stairs were stone, it look like something straight out of an old castle. Torches lined the walls lighting that path. Anita smiled and signaled them to go ahead of her.

Bookman went first, as always, and they followed him in the same order with Anita trailing behind. The father they descended, the colder the air became. There was a whistle coming through the stone walls, probably from a draft. Or maybe even a whisper. Allen looked at his arm and noted that goose bumps were forming. They all wore light weight cloths from the heat on yesterday's unfortunate journey, so they all began to feel uncomfortable with the cold air that rubbed up on their cold skin.

Allen glanced behind him see Marie at the end, he was a big fellow. But he could barely see Anita following Marie. She gave Allen an uneasy feeling. He didn't like it. He wanted out of the damp and cold climb down into the darkness, he wanted out of the castle, he wanted out of the desert, he wanted out of the South Kingdom…He wanted to go home.

"Just up ahead there will be a door to your right people, please let yourselves in" Anita called from the back. Bookman did as she told him to do. The door, was made of wood and metal, it looked old and rotten from the poor conditions of the underground environment. Bookman pulled open the door. The room inside was completely black; they walked a couple steps in until Miss. Anita lurked in the doorway and lit more torches. The small light from the torch she was carrying revealed a small table next to the door filled with candles. She lit them and made her way around the room and lit all torches and candles scattered about. The lights were dim, but revealed a small room, it was made of stone and red curtains covered the walls and elegant red rugs covered the floor. The room was small. But in the back right hand side corner was another door way, but with not a door, but beads. Against the back wall was a very nice oak desk, it had carving on it and it had a magenta drapery over it with a stack of papers, a large candle, and an ink jar with a feather pen sticking out. Anita made her way all around the room and shut the door. She then took her place at the desk and folded her arms.

"So, Bookman, what's this deal you would like to discuss?"

Allen saw Lavi go pale. He put his hand on Lavi's shoulder, but he just looked away.

_Why is he being like this again?_

"Him, for all the slaves and captives you're holding" Bookman said.

_What?_

Anita raised her brow

"The kid?' she motioned toward Allen

Bookman nodded.

Anita threw back her head and laughed.

"You've got to be joking, Bookman. What makes you think he is work the three hundred people I have yet to sell here? Surely this must be a joke." She beamed.

"This is no joke I assure you, this boy is something other worldly I tell you."

whAT?

"PFFT yeah, and I'm the next Saltin of the South."

She continued to laugh.

"He's an angel" Lavi said under his breath.

"Wait-"Allen started, but Lavi covered his mouth

"Shh" he whispered

"What makes you say that, young man?"

"Well," Lavi started, "his hair, it's white as snow, his eyes are silver, and he has a fairly pale complexion. Plus," Lavi rolled up Allen's sleeve revealing his deformed arm. "With this, it proves he's a fallen angel."

Anita looked shocked, her eyes wide and glued to Allen's arm.

"I'll have to say he's worth way more than a measly three hundred, maybe even thousands-"

"DEAL!" Anita cried "DEAL DEAL DEAL DEAL, you can take them all, my slaves, my prisoners, take them all"

Allen fussed out of Lavi's grip.

_So this is what they were up to_

He wanted to cry again

"Allen please don't look at me like that. You're helping so many by doing this, you're a tough kid you can probably escape in a week tops" Lavi whispered to him, Anita was so in depth with her conversation with Bookman, nobody noticed them conversing.

"You'll be fine trust me, as long as they believe you're a holy figure you'll get pampered, you just need to keep that act up. You can escape this, hell I donno if you'll want to you will be living so well."

Lavi then shoved something in Allen's hand.

"You'll do great kid" Lavi whispered

Bookman and Anita shook hands.

Allen felt Lavi's hand on his head, he looked up and Lavi kissed him on the forehead.

Before Allen had time to react, Lavi left the room, followed by everybody else, leaving only him in the now empty room. He looked down at what Lavi put in his hand; it was the red hair tie.


	7. Article 7

The room looked unoccupied; it's was a sitting room. There was a table with tea dishes in the center and chairs all around it. A fire place sat in the far right side of the room with love seats and couches cramped in around it. Expensive painting and mirrors covered the walls too. On the left side of the room, in the corner, there was a window. But red velvet curtains covered it, blocking the sunlight and view of the outside world. Allen stood next to the window; he slightly moved the red curtain to the side and looked outside. The town of rugs and sand had become busier. More and more soldiers with yellow marking had appeared in the town.

"Step away from the window please, Young One."

_Shit, I thought I was alone. _

Allen did was he was told, Anita can be scary at times.

"I told you not to go near the windows, what if the glass were to shatter of a bomb?"

"I'm sorry, the thought never occurred to me." Allen replied

Anita smiled

"Oh it's quite alright; this town has been at risk for quite some time. Follow me"

"Yes"

Allen followed Anita out of the Room and down one of the many halls.

Lavi was right, ever since Allen came into her possession; she has been doting over him and pampering him. She never hit him, or committed any kind of assault, she hasn't touched him either, not even curse at him.

_Maybe this is what having a 'mother' is like_

She gave Allen his own room. Every morning she would personally come in to wake him up. She picked out the clothes he would wear, (Allen insisted he dressed himself, being self-cautious of his arm) and even brushed his hair. Every morning there was breakfast, and every afternoon there was lunch, and believe it or not, every evening there was a dinner! Allen was not used to that much food in one day. Usually Allen and Cross would only eat once a day and Allen would gorge, because that was it.

Anita's servants made and served all the food, they were also always cleaning and doing laundry and washing the floors. The whole house always either smelled of cleaning supplies or scented candles. Anita likes the smell of smoked berries. Red curtains, they were everywhere. Allen could recall when he first came to this place the hallway what was covered in red and mirrors. Allen never went back to that hallway. He feared what may be hiding behind the walls, in the dark and damp basement

Allen followed Anita up a set of stairs at the end of the hall.

The stairs spiraled and led up to a third floor

Allen has never been on the third floor, he wanted to ask what they were doing but he learned to keep shut. Anita didn't like it when he asked 'unnecessary questions'.

The stairs were made of marble, and the higher they ascended, the cleaner they were. Maybe it's because only few servants are allowed upstairs to clean. It was kind of scary…to finally find out what's on the forbidden floor. The light became brighter, was it actual sunlight? Normally there were candles, fireplaces, and gas lamps that powered all the lighting in the house. Plus there were also the deep red curtains that blocked out all sunlight.

The stairways walls were white brick, blotches of color started to appear as the windows were stain glass. Each window was a scene from the bible. Allen could recognize a few of them from which Mana would read to him.

A chuckle escaped from Miss Anita's lips

It made Allen nervous..

"May I ask the source of your entertainment?" Allen Asked

"Shhh" she cooed, "no speaking unless you're being spoken to."

Allen looked up and saw the top of the spiral stairway, at the top was a big door. It was completely made of stain glass; the design was the Battle of Angles and Demons. People say that the humans sided with the demons because humans are naturally lured to sin. The Demons in this battle however, were a bit more different than the rest. They used to be a family of 'fallen angles' but they each were attracted to sin, and god banished them from heaven. So then they stirred up the Holy war. Turning man against their god, but only the righteous fought alongside with the angles. These people were with the church, and those who fought on the battle field were called the 'exorcists'. The scene stained of the glass; it was gruesome, but also beautiful. It showed how terrible battle can be. But the explicit dismembered pictures of the humans were shadowed over by the grace of the angles and demons.

The angles were almost completely white, their pale skin tone, hair, cloths, even their eyes were silver. They had a glow like marking on different parts of their body. Even some of the 'exorcists' had matching markings to some of the Angles. That's how each exorcist had a 'guardian angel. They had matching marks that glowed.

_Wait _

Allen then glanced at his left hand. He was careful to keep it wrapped up and hidden from everyone. Even though Anita has already seen it once, he tried to hide it from everyone else in the house. He kept his hand and arm hidden so much, that sometimes Allen forgot himself that his hand was deformed.

_No, the holy war was so long ago. This is just another one of god's bizarre works; I was born with it looking so strange…my arm._

The demons however, were dark. Their skin was almost grey, and they had the markings of the damned on their forehead. Their hair and eyes were black; some of them even had pointy teeth.

Allen didn't know how long he spent staring at the glass, but he noticed Anita staring at him. He tried to ignore it but the aura immediately became awkward. Allen forced out a small cough, she narrowed her eyes.

"It's beautiful. Isn't it."

Allen nodded

"The craftsmanship, it is quite exquisite. The detail and balance. Especially on the angels."

Allen slowly looked down as Anita started to go on,

"and the demon, well I think it's quite clever how they all display a certain theme, oh and the exorcists I absolutely love how the artist has the angels match them with marking, it's like god created two halves and they find each other on the battle field as soulmates." Allen started to look at the floor, it was white marble, there were little tiny grey cracks in them, he started to trace them with his eyes to see where it would lead him, and he didn't move his body. Just his eyes, it was something to do as entertainment. He got bored rather quickly, Anita's words all blurred together and Allen Stopped listening. He closed his eyes and began to think

'_I wonder how Cross is doing…is he even looking for me? Nah, probably not. Hopefully he escaped…maybe he even made it back home by now. It's possible; to think if I would have been more careful none of this would have happened. I could be home, Timcanpy would be there. Bloody hell we could be eating cake! Aghhh what I would give to be at home in my own warm bed, it's nice here too I must confess…but still. There is no place like home. I knew a kid from my youth who said that a lot…I still remember his name. John. I met him in a small town when passing through. He sure had a lot of pen pals he was writing to; I wonder if they are all still friends. He sure talked a lot about them…_

**Click**

Allen flinched at the noise; he looked up to see Anita at the stain glass door. She had her hand on the door handle. There was a key in a lock, which must have been the clicking noise.

"Coming?" she asked, and opened the door, not all the way though. She only opened it enough to just barley slip through. Good thing Allen was smaller than her; he then followed her through the door. Allen half expected to see red curtains everywhere since the rest of the mansion seemed to be drowning in them. But instead it was bright. The entire floor was a ball room. The left side wall was entirely made out of glass windows. Some were doors that led to an outside balcony; Allen couldn't see the town out the windows despite the mansion was crowded by it. He rushed over toward the windows to get a better look. He saw it, the town. But you could only see it if you were right at the windows and looked down just beyond the edge of the balcony. Normally when Allen would sneak a peek outside there were few people around. But for some reason the streets were even more crowded. He looked around the room once more; there were tables and chairs stacked along the right side of the room along with an indoor balcony the watched over the entire room from above. The floor was entirely made out of white marble and the walls where white as well, they had gold trimming along the floor and ceiling. The far wall had a grand fireplace, no ashes or soot was left behind. Elegant chandeliers made of crystals hung from the ceiling. Anita stood in the middle and observed Allen's excitement as he wondered around the huge empty space. Her maids kept it clean and sparkling for her, she had hoped to one day use it. And tonight would be the night she finally would. ((here is a refrence) . )

Anita cleared her throat.

Allen stopped and looked over at her, showing she caught his attention.

"Allen Dear, we are going to host a ball tonight. Here in this very room. I have had the seamstress sew you something nice to wear. Since you arrived I have been hoping to show my treasure to my friends." She smiled, "oh how I've waited to use this room once again, things have been, just too hard since the war began. I had to start several business just to keep this place up and running." She looked like she could almost cry.

'_You mean slave trading '_Allen thought, then rolled his eyes.

Anita had taken out a handkerchief and dabbed the corners of her eyes. "Here my angel, follow me. We must, you both you and I, get ready for tonight." She waved her hand for him to follow. "We have important guests arriving early so we must prepare in advance." Allen followed Anita back down the stairs. Servants were rushing up with table cloths, silverware, flowers, and a lot of decorations.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs they departed in different directions towards their quarters.

_I wonder if this is my chance to hi-tail it outta here. The servants are too busy getting ready and Anita is busy getting ready. _

_But then again, I'll stick out like a sore thumb in the crowd outside. I look nothing like the locals, with their tan skin and dark hair. I should wait til it gets dark out. _

Allen made his way back to his room, but waiting inside were a group of women with fabric and needles at the ready. He sighed and greeted them with a smile. All the fabric the team of seamstresses' had was white.

_Figures_, _lets get this over with this_

* * *

"Ouch" Allen flinched. This must have been the 20th time had been pricked with a needle. They were settled in an empty space on the right side of Allen's room in front of glass doors leading to the balcony. But like every other window it has been covered by red curtains. A flimsy transparent fabric split the room in two, the left side had Allen's bed centered against the wall. His dresser and drawers were collected around the space they were using to sew Allen something to wear for Anita's party later that night.

"Oh hush, were almost done" a woman said. She was the leader of group of seamstresses'. She was a plump woman in her mid-forties. Her brown hair was wrapped neatly in a bun. Her cloths were simple and plain but sewn nicely. There were a total of five women. Three of them had to be around Allen's age, one was blonde and the other two had brown hair. They wore loose ponytails and white blouses with simple skirts with bold color. They also wore aprons, unlike the leader. They must have been apprentices. The fourth woman was around the same age as the leader, who wore something very similar to her.

Allen stood on a stool and the older women were kneeling on the floor hemming up the bottom of Allen cloths. The three other girls were folding up extra fabrics and were giggling. Anita always told him not to acknowledge names, so Allen just noted them as the leader, the follower, and the three annoying ones.

The leader snapped at the girl's giggles and told them to hold their tongue's. When she turned away the girls stuck their tongue's out at her…it was silent for a while, until Allen decided to speak up,

"Miss, may I ask how much longer this must take? You can take a break if you'd like, you must be tired from sewing non-stop for God knows how long now."

"What a sweet boy, but this won't take much longer." The leader said, then looked up and winked. Allen saw the girls scrunch up they face at him. It was the only thing he said to them the entire time. His entire outfit was white. It consisted of two pieces; the first piece was a sleeveless shirt with a turtle neck that had a zipper that reached down to his collarbone. Allen was very uncomfortable, because of his arm. The three apparentness' kept their distance from him, but the leader and follower paid no mind to it. the shirt was almost dress like- it reached down all the way to his ankles with a slit that started from his bellybutton, so then it exposed his pants he was wearing underneath. His pants were white as well; they could only be described as 'harlem' pants. It was quite comfy and easy to move around in.

((basically what he wore in -man volume 22, chapter 202-205) store/manga/28/205.0/compressed/r205. ?v=11303388597)

The leader also sewed him a coat with a hood. It was white like everything else, it didn't have a zipper so it was open. The coat reached down to the floor, it trailed a little on the floor. The inside of the hood had a quilt like pattern, while the outside and the rest of the hood was silk. lining of the hood was fluffy, it continued down to his chest then halted. Allen was quite appreciative of the coat, seeing as the shirt-dress piece was sleeveless, and he liked to cover up his arm.

((the coat is crown clown…( )

Allen didn't realize someone had walked into the room, his back was facing the door…the leader kept going on and on about how to take care of the new cloths she had finished sewing. She handed him a pair of black flats and Allen slipped them on one at a time, when he finished she handed him a pair of black gloves, he slipped them on as well. Allen was half-listening to her, it seemed like an endless ramble that blurred into a monotone drivel. He zoned out and just stood there with his mind in solitude, obvious to what was happening around him. Allen dazed for a while, he didn't realize how much time had passed, but he noticed the leader. She stopped talking and looked as if she was frozen in time. The annoying girls had ceased giggling and had also frozen in the middle of cleaning up. The follower was quite anyways, but she was frozen as well…Allen put up a hand and waved it in front of the leader.

"um-excuse me?" Allen asked, he stepped off the stool and stumbled a bit.

There was a chuckle from behind him. The lights went out.

"My, My, My, so you're the one Anita has been gloating about. A little clumsy eh boy?" The mystery voice said. It was deep, and a little husky.

Allen felt a little chill run down his spine.

A small light illuminated from behind him, a candle had been lit

Allen eyebrows furrowed,

_Wait a second, this is my room…how did he?_

Without turning around Allen answered "This is a private room, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Oh I know who's room this is"

**Click **

**Click **

**Click **

The sound of footsteps drew closer. Allen turned around to face the man, but as soon as he turned his head to lay eyes on the man in his room, a hand cupped his chin and forced his head to look up. The man had moved quickly, and way to close for comfort. The only thing Allen could see was a bright golden eyes, they seemed to glow in the darkness. The man towered over him. He could smell him, it was sandalwood… he knew that scent anywhere, it was his favorite

_God damn it what the hell, who is this guy_

Allen turned his face away but the hand they cupped his chin held it in place.

"Im going to call for help if you don't release me." Allen said as vaugly as he could.

The man chucked again and leaned in further,

"go ahead, no help will come."

Allen struggled aganest the hand, but another snaked its way around his waist.

"A little feisty aren't we?" the man whispered

"Let me go!" Allen yelled

""didn't I say that no one would be able to hear you" the man smirked

Allen scrunched up his face and let his feet give out. His plan was to slip out from under the man's grasp and escape that way, but he underestimated how tight the man's grasp was. But instead he awkwardly slid down only to have his face pressed into the man's stomach. Allen tried to weasel his way out, then he was suddenly let go. The man burst out into laughter, he dropped the candle and held his sides while laughing. Allen rushed over and stomped out the candle's flame, and then lights then came back on. The man had straightened out and wiped a tear from his eye from laughter. Allen decided to make a break for it, he started his sprint but only three steps in the man grabbed Allen's arm and pulled him back.

"Don't you have any manners boy? An introduction would be nice"

"I could say the same to you, waltzing into someone's private quarters unannounced or acquainted" Allen replied

_Got em_

The man replied with a smirk

"Very well," he started, "I am Tyki Mikk, of the Noah family. A friend to Anita, she told me herself to look around the house."

"Yeah, to look around the house. Not sneaking into people's room and act like a creep!" Allen spat

"A creep you say? Listen here boy-

"It's Allen!"

Tyki's smirk widened

"You are quite a lively one, completely not what Anita said you are," he let go of Allen's arm "keep that spark you have"

Allen didn't run, he surveyed the man now that he was in the complete light. He could determine that he looked to be Portuguese with tan skin and dark hair. It was a little long and was curly but still neatly fixed. He wore a nice suit with a cloth tucked in at the base of the neck instead of a bow or tie. He certainly looked like he came from money; Allen wouldn't be surprised if Tyki was a client in Anita's underground business.

"What is your purpose? Coming here and putting your hand on me, Anita certainly wouldn't like hearing that."

"Oh no, she most certainly wouldn't. But I will say this; I know you're looking for a way out. I can make you a deal, to escape this place, to get back home, to the north."

Allen grew furious

_How the bloody hell how does he know all of this!?_

"Oh dear boy come now, surely this place must sicken you" Tyki stepped closer and knelt down so he was eye level with Allen. He cupped his cheek one again and started at the boy, tracing his scar with his thumb. "It seems really nice, living here and all. But deep down, you know this place is hell, underneath the polished tiles or even the walls. It's why you're here, and she was foolish to believe that you're a holy entity" his hand slipped down Allen's face and neck to his shoulder. Tyki then slid his hand down Allen's arm and lifted his hand up. He slipped off Allen's glove to reveal his deformed hand with a small glowing cross on the top of his hand.

Allen tried to move, but he was frozen. No matter what his brain told him he couldn't. It's like another power had control of him.

Tyki brought Allen's hand up to his lips and kissed it. Allen shuddered; he didn't like this at all. Tyki was a creep. An attractive creep too, oh god that makes it worse.

Tyki let go of Allen's hand, "I can take you home" he cooed.

He wanted to cry

"But it comes with a price."

He wanted to run

"But for now, consider this a gift. It should be your catalyst."

A pain shot up through Allen's arm. He dropped to his knees and clutched his arm

"What-what…did you do…to me?" Allen grunted

Tyki crouched down next to Allen,

"I told you, I gave you a gift. You should have more power in your arm. Honestly I'm surprised you haven't used it yet, you seem scared."

_What the hell is he talking about? _

Tyki sighed

"The Earl will not be happy with me for that, but you never know. Maybe it can prove useful to us before the time comes."

Allen just frowned at him, Tyki held out Allen's black glove to him.

The pain in his arm zeroed in on the spot where Tyki kissed his hand.

"The pain will subside shortly. That's just a little conflict going on between your innocence and my Noah."

"The bloody hell are you talking about?!" Allen snapped

Tyki look dumb folded. Then that smirk of his returned once more

"You don't know how to use it don't you?" he then chuckled, "well, that's a bit of a problem."

Allen shakily took off his coat, to examine his arm. The green cross started to illuminate and his veins started to pulse and squirm. He slowly stood back up; he fumbled but regained his footing. Tyki's expression darkened. His face held a look of disgust, staring at Allen's deformed arm.

"Disgusting, it should gain a new form soon. Call it an upgrade."

"This is your sick idea of a gift?!" Allen exclaimed

Before Allen can move Tyki was right there, he grabbed Allen by the collar and threw him to the wall. Allen felt the wind knocked out of him. His vision blurred, he blinked. When he opened his eyes Tyki was eye level with him. Their faces were barley an inch apart…

"Listen here boy,"

Allen thought of it as a perfect opportunity to sock him in the face, only to find out that Tyki had pinned Allen's arms against the wall.

"I gave you a catalyst, without it you would be stuck as a low level exorcist. Be. Fucking. Grateful. Maybe you can defend yourself now, which is if you man up and fight."

Allen started at him, his eyebrows furrowed

_Exorcist?_

Tyki was so close; he could feel his breath on him.

Allen brought his knee up between Tyki's legs. Hard. He grunted and fell forward into Allen's shoulder but then Allen shoved him back. He grabbed his tossed gloves and coat and bolted out of the room, leaving Tyki on the floor.

Note from Chemical-King-Twoon:

I'm sorry this update took so long! I've been on writers block, I planned for this chapter to be a lot longer but I decided that I've been quite long enough and that something should be released.


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